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And these valuable servants? Not equerries or other royal minions, but her trusty patent leather shoes, the unsung heroes of the Royal household.
It takes a team of four — not including the junior member of Buckingham Palace staff, dubbed 『Cinders』, who has the job of wearing in her Majesty’s shoes — to produce the classic black numbers (she has other colours in the same style) which cost about £1,000. Yet the Queen certainly gets value for money out of them, wearing the same pair for years and re-heeling them when they wear out.
When she stepped out in Northern Ireland with Prince Philip this week, she was wearing shoes identical to those she first sported five decades ago. Politics change, and so, gradually, does the monarch’s style of dress.
The coats have become narrower, the hemlines slightly longer. Only her Majesty’s shoes remain emphatically the same.
At 88, the Queen relies on her shoes to be less glass slipper, more steadfast slip-on. Comfort and support are key. As a young woman she often wore shoes with a thinner, higher heel, but for nearly 50 years the same low style has kept her sure-footed and age-defyingly nimble.
Known as her 『work』 shoes, they are handmade for her by shoemaker Anello & Davide of Kensington, West London, from the finest calf leather, usually in black patent with a brass clasp or a small bow.
The team works from a wooden 『last』 made from measurements of the Queen’s foot, and include a pattern cutter; a clicker, who selects the leather; a closer, who sews the upper part and adds stiffeners; and, finally, a maker, who adds the sole and heel on the last.
Then there』ll be a fitting at the Palace, and — after any final adjustments, including a clean and polish — they’re ready.
The Queen’s selection — she has worked her way through hundreds of almost identical pairs over the years but circulates about ten pairs at any one time — includes plain black leather, black patent, white leather and beige leather, and three designs of evening shoe in satin, silver and gold. They are all hand-dyed and water-repellent.
The heel is always reassuringly chunky and 2¼ in high, with a raised insole to give the royal size 4s an added lift in the arch. If she is likely to be walking on uneven surfaces, the heel will be lower.
But even having them handmade isn’t quite enough to get them fit for a Queen.
Stewart Parvin, who has designed dresses for her for 11 years says that the shoes have to be immediately comfortable and that to achieve this, a member of staff with the same size feet will trot up and down palatial corridors for her until they are suitably broken in.
Parvin says: 『The Queen can never say: 「I’m uncomfortable, I can’t walk any more.」 』
Once she has taken delivery, her dressers Kate or Beverley might also use wooden shoe stretchers to make them more comfortable.
Her shoes have occasionally been 『worn in』 by Angela Kelly, her devoted personal assistant, as they have almost the same size feet. But now there is the aforementioned junior staff member 『Cinders』, who is the same size exactly. She wears beige cotton ankle socks when testing the Queen’s shoes, and is only allowed to walk on carpets. The shoes then get one trial run outside to ensure there is no slippage.
Footmen Ian and William are responsible for everyday care, including polishing and storage. After the Queen has worn them, they are aired on shoe trees then stored individually in silk or cotton drawstring bags.
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（本文為編譯）
近50年來，「它們」陪伴英國女王伊莉莎白二世探訪各地，時刻保持優雅端莊卻從不奪走女王的光彩。「它們」是誰？「它們」是英國王室的無名英雄——數十年如一日對女王忠心耿耿的漆皮鞋。
據英國《每日郵報》網站6月28日報導，儘管看上去款式簡單，但女王的御用漆皮鞋需由一個四人團隊手工製作，每雙花費約1000英鎊，為了防止新鞋磨腳，還會有專人替其試穿松鞋。
「50年前，漆皮鞋第一次出現在公眾視野；50年間，女王的外套變窄了、裙邊變長了，只有這雙漆皮鞋還保持著最初的模樣。」近日，女王和她的丈夫菲利普親王共同出訪北愛爾蘭。腳蹬標誌性的漆皮鞋，鎂光燈下的女王顯得分外高貴端莊。
報導稱，漆皮鞋被視作女王的「工鞋」，由位於西倫敦肯辛頓的知名鞋履製造商「Anello & Davide」派專人手工打造，鞋面材質為品相最佳的小牛皮，款式通常為黑色漆皮經典小方頭輔以黃銅扣。
這個製鞋小組共有四名鞋匠，一人負責挑選皮料、一人負責打版裁樣、一人負責縫紉鞋面和加固配件，最後一人則負責連接鞋面和鞋跟。而「試鞋」的工作由一雙木質鞋楦完成，這雙鞋楦仿照女王雙腳的大小製成，相似度近乎100%。
完工後，漆皮鞋會被送至女王府邸以供試穿，如有任何不合適之處，會立即返工予以調整。然而，「工鞋」做好了並不意味著它們可以即刻上崗。
據女王的御用服裝設計師斯圖爾特•帕爾文透露，隨著女王年紀的增長，穿鞋的舒適性變得越來越重要，「因此，會有一位王室工作人員專門負責替女王穿新鞋，這樣等到磨合期過後女王自己穿時就不會感到不舒服。『我感到不舒服，我不能再往前走了。』決不能允許類似的話語從女王口中說出。」
帕爾文提到的這位專職試鞋的王室工作人員被稱為「灰姑娘」（Cinders），她的雙腳大小與女王完全相同。工作時，她會套上一雙米黃色的及踝棉襪，然後穿上新鞋走路，並且她只被允許行走在地毯上。隨後，「灰姑娘」還會在戶外小跑一段，以確保新鞋不會滑腳。
至於鞋子的日常護理工作，則由兩位男僕專職負責。每雙被女王穿過的鞋子，都需放入鞋撐置於空氣流通處，待鞋子變得乾爽之後放進絲質或者棉質的束口袋貯藏起來。
而這些製作工藝精良、得到悉心護理的「工鞋」會為女王服務多年。「Anello & Davide」公司負責人戴維•海特稱：「每年，我們會為女王製作一雙或者兩雙鞋，偶爾還會幫女王翻新鞋面、修理更換鞋跟。在我們的客戶裡，她不是出手最闊綽的，我們的女王不浪費錢。」
（譯者 諶融 編輯 丹妮）
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